make a perfect cup of coffee

The most wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I did it. Today, I finally made the perfect cup of coffee all by myself, and laughed out loud when I realized what I had finally accomplished… monumental feat, really!

Every other day in life I have someone else make my coffee for me, so having a day to myself and to do for myself was the nicest of nicest of things… One of my favorite vendors just brought me home a special blend of coffee as a gift from her latest trip to Italy. A little fresh grinding of the beans, trying out my new coffee machine… a good perk, a splash of cocoa, a touch of coconut flavor, a little sweet cream… settled it all over ice and stretched out on the porch in the sun this morning… days off and sunshine with a cool breeze and a perfect coffee finally? Supreme.

43 blessings and thanks to the universe for 43 kajillion ways to make a perfect cup of coffee!

I’m trying (not for the first time, mind you) to edit my list so it more closely reflects my life right now. Part of that means getting rid of the things that are just so intangible that they’re never going to get checked off.

Things like “make a perfect cup of coffee”.

I’ve said it before – in the end, it’s going to come down to serendipity. I can always re-open the goal.

And it first came with delicious, freshly ground and French-pressed Colombian Nariño Supremo beans.

Got me a perfectly proportion scoop and measuring cup, for 10grams of coffee grounds for every 180ml of water.

Has a very pronounced nutty, slightly chocolatey flavor.

Absolutely perfect.

But then again… I’ve yet to create my own blend of beans… or my own espresso-based drink… should I place those in their own goal entries?

I’ve made good coffee. I’ve made amazing coffee.

But perfect? I’m not quite there yet. I know I can try for the perfect cup of coffee – experiment with different beans, or different brewing methods – but I have a feeling that, in the end, it’ll come down to serendipity.

It’ll happen eventually.

_Ahhhhhh—!!

:)

I have learned this!!! I have learned to roast my own beans, grind them and make a perfect french press cup of coffee. There’s nothing better…except maybe sex, LOL.

The hardest part was getting the right kind of beans. I found getting the whole beans and grinding them right before cooking was the best way to go. Made sure the water was not BOILING when I poured it in. .and VOLA! Perfect!

I love a great cup of coffee, actually several during the day. I’m definitely espresso obsessed. I’‘ve gone through 3 different systems at home:

1. Cheap Krupps machine (>$150) w/ Starbucks beans. Any machine that does not have a powerful pump might as well be a drip machine. Might be ok for a latte or something really watered down. VERY MESSY

2. Starbucks Barista ($350 for stainless steel) with Starbucks or Peet’s beans and a good burr ginder ($100). Makes a great shot, but is not consistent. It takes a good barista behind the helm of the controls to get good results. Also VERY MESSY…between the grinding and the tamping and the rinsing. Be prepared to man the machine for a half hour if you are having lots of guests over. You’ll need good beans to improve your consistency.

3. Heaven: Capresso C1500 fully automatic with Peets or even Trader Joes beans ($5 a can!). Burr grinds, tamps, and brews perfect shots everytime with adjustable grind coarseness, water per shot, temperature, and an excellent, easy to use frothing system. Anyone can make the perfect cup every time. Relatively clean, and party guests can easily make their own coffee. Also makes a damn fine Americano for people who insist on drip. Also remarkably inexpensive if you buy a refurbished one ( $680 @ http://www.wholelattelove.com ). Has to be emptied every 10 shots or so…but very easy to clean and care for. I can make cappucinos that remind people of sitting a cafe in Italy or a Latte that pleases the most hardcore Starbucks devotee with this machine.

A really good cup of coffee smells amazing – a perfect cup of coffee should smell amazing but also taste just how it smells.

I spend a lot of time drinking coffee – in fact my perfect job would involve a lot of sitting in cafes drinking cappucinos. Just need to find someone who’ll pay me to do that…